And BOOM! it hits you

Let me set the scene...

Tuesday morning. 

I've been sick for 9 days and finally think I'll have enough energy to drag the kids out for some educational fun in music class.  Too bad I'm exhausted because Abbie started running a fever Monday night and needed me to comfort her - in her twin-size bed - for most of the night.  Oh, and then she woke me up at 3:40am to let me know she'd wet the bed... the bed I was sleeping in... right next to her.  Ew.

Abbie is staying home from school due to the previous night's fever, even though she seems fine by 8:30am.  At this point, we haven't even gotten out of PJs yet, and would normally be leaving for school at 8:45am, so no way we would make it anyway.

Jason is wigging out off and on, just as he did on Monday.  I later discover sticky fluid coming out of his ear that indicates yet ANOTHER ear infection.  Tell me again why we paid for tubes and made the kid go through surgery, if he's just going to keep getting infections?

9:00am.  I'm giving the kids baths and the phone rings.  Caller ID says it's Tony.  I figure he's probably calling to ask a favor, as sometimes happens shortly after he has left the house to go to work.  I answer, "Yes dear."  And Tony says, "Laura, I've been in an accident."  BOOM.  I feel like a horrible human and wish I could take back the lackluster tone with which I answered the phone (turns out, he didn't even hear it - he was still in shock). 

So, the day that I thought I had planned, suddenly fell apart.  The children were parked in front of PBS as I handled insurance claims and went back and forth with Tony about what he needed.  Every moment in between was spent being so utterly relieved that Tony was not severely injured.  The rest of the day was spent dealing with insurance, trying to reclaim stuff from the back of the car (which was impossible), and shopping for a new car.

The guy who hit Tony apparently did not see traffic slowing, and slammed into Tony's rear at highway speed - no evidence of braking.  Thanks to Tony's quick instincts, and the lucky fact that he was in the right lane, he was able to swerve off the road and just clipped the back end of the car in front of him before landing in the ditch on the side of the highway. 

I'm still in disbelief that this guy was so distracted that he didn't see all the traffic building and slowing, and that his little girl wasn't wearing a seat-belt, and that he could produce no proof of insurance.  Oh, and an online search showed that he has an arrest record.  And as the trooper put it, he was driving with "dirty tags".  Awesome.

It's weird.  I feel like Tony has some sort of "hit me, you jerk" sign on his back.  Through absolutely no fault of his own, Tony has been rear-ended 3 times since 2008.  Two of those jerks drove away, and the last one couldn't, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting anything from him or his insurance company (or lack thereof).

When I saw these pictures for the first time, I got kind of choked up.  I am just so glad that Tony is OK, despite the expected bruises and body pains.  And I'm especially relieved that the children were not in the car.  As you can see from the pictures, there's no way they would have been unhurt in this wreck.  It's simply amazing how quickly your life can change and how one turn of events can remind you of how valuable life is.
We are now shopping for a new car... likely a minivan.  More on that, and my psychological hangups about becoming a "soccer mom", another time.